Golf ball retrieving

ABSTRACT

A pole mounted golf ball retriever having a coiled spring wire with a pair of angularly disposed loops at the end thereof which are spaced to form openings therebetween. The loops may be readily sprung apart to permit a golf ball to enter the openings as the retriever is urged toward the ball. The loops return to their original position after the ball has been effectively engaged.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,712,658 Yaresh 1 Jan. 23, 1973 [5 1 GOLF BALL RETRIEVING 2,595,134 4/1952 Gordon ..294/99 R [76] Inventor: Frank s. Yaresh, 3267 w, 82nd St., Kiwi "294/19 R Clevela d, Oh'o 44102 i r n I Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter 1 F 116d! 1971 Assistant Examiner-John D. Cherry [21] APP]. No: 118,434 Attorney-H. E. Whitaker v 57 ABSTRACT [52] US. (31..., ..2 94/l9 A l 1 [51] Int.Cl. ..A47l13/06 A p l m n ed g lf ball retriever having a coiled [58] Field oi Search ..294/l9 R, 19 A, 104 pring wire with a pair of angularly disposed loops at 1 the end thereof which are spaced to form openings [56] References Cited therebetween. The loops may be readily sprung apart to permit a golf ball to enter the openings as the v UNITED STATES PATENTS retriever is urged toward the ball. The loops return to 3,149,872 9/1964 Ward ..294/l9 A their original position after the ball has been effective- 3,199,905 8/1965 Johnson 1y engaged. 1,722,519 7/1929 Du Chene..'... Y

8/1957 Du hene... ..294/l9 A 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GOLF BALL RETRIEVING This invention relates to golf-ball retrievers and more particularly to a golf-ball retriever capable of grasping a golf ball as the retriever approaches the ball from an direction.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a golf-ball retriever having wire loops disposed to form multiple snaring sections which will grasp and hold a golf ball firmly.

Golf-ball retrievers utilizing a cup device on the end of a handle are illustrated in the art, but such retrievers are notably inept at recovering balls in difficult locations such as crevices and in tall brush and grass.

The golf-ball retriever described herein eliminates the disadvantages of the prior available equipment by facilitating the engagement of the grasping elements of the retriever with the golf ball to be picked up. The retriever has a pair of snaring sections or coils having the general form of rings which are spaced to form openings therebetween, which are smaller than the golf ball but ma be readily sprung open by pressure on the golf ball as the snare is urged toward the ball. As the golf ball enter the ring they return to the original position thus closing the opening through which the ball passed thus holding the ball firmly. The golf-ball retriever overall size is effectively only the thickness of the wire larger than the'ball giving the retriever the necessary versatility to pick up a golf ball from holes, ditches, bushes, crevices, as well as water with ease and assurance. The ball may be picked up from the front, top, or side.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the invention to provide a ball retriever wherein a plurality of openings disposed at varying angles to the handle or shaft engage a ball at such varying angles as it may be necessaryto use the retriever to snare a ball.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, set forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

' In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front viewof the golf ball retriever which forms the preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the golf-ball retriever;

' FIG. 3 is a detail view of the fastening element for the loops of wire; I

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the operation of the retriever in grasping the golf ball;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an alternate operation; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate form of the retriever.

Referring first to FIG. I, the golf-ball retriever of my' invention is shown therein as having a handle or shaft 10, which may be solid, flexible, telescoping, or articulated to facilitate the use of the retriever some distance from the user. A handle several feet in length is useful in recovering golf balls'from water.

Coils of wire 12 are mounted on the end of shaft 10,

' said coils being of increasing diameter to form a conical tioned in a plane disposed along the axis of shaft 10 and at an approximate angle of 45 to the first ring 14. Rings 14 and 16 are flexible and may be distorted to increase the space therebetween thus providing for the entry of a golf ball 18 through said space against the biasing action of the wire rings 14 and 16. The rings 14 and 16 then return to the original position and hold the ball 18 in the snare until removed by hand.

It is noted that ring 16 is formed in an oval shape having one axis larger than the diameter of the ball 20 and the other axis smaller than the diameter of the ball 20. When the ball is introduced through the ring 16 the shape is distorted to a more round shape to allow the passage of the ball 20 therethrough. After the passage of the ball 20 the ring 16 returns to'the oval shape and holds the ball in the position illustrated in FIG. 2.

The end of the shaft 10 has a wire clip 24 affixed thereto which has the form of a hook that engages the end of the wire 12 on ring 16 and holds the same at the terminus of the coiled wire 12. Ring 14 is without restraint other than the predetermined shape given to the wire. In FIG. 5 the retriever is shown with a ball 20 entering the snare between ring 14 and the coiled wire 12. This has utility in certain conditions of reaching over an obstruction and into a crevice to retrieve the golf ball 20.

In FIG. 6 the alternate form of the retriever is shown as having flexible loops 26 without restraint. A ring 28 is formed at the end of the assembly and functions in the manner of ring 16. The ball 20 is picked up by stabbing or striking with the coil 26 or the ring 28.

The retriever is illustrated as having wire of smooth configuration but if desirable, the ball-holding capacity may be enhanced by roughing the surface of the wire on the back of the rings at the area that contacts the ball as it is grasped, or by applying an abrasive material to said contact area.

Although I have shown and described the invention as being primarily adapted for use in golf ball retrieving and the like, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the embodiment of the invention shown but that the device may be effectively employed in games and novelty use.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear and'concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subject which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in which is claimed, it being understood that equivalents or modifications of, substitutions for, part of the above specifically described embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in what is claimed.

I claim:

l. A golf ball retriever comprising a coiled spring wire, a pair of loops formed at the end of said wire coil with the plane of each loop in said pair respectively disposed at an angle of at least 45 to the adjacent loop to provide a space for a ball to enter therebetween and connecting means engaging the loops at the point of contact of adjacent loops.

2. The golf-ball retriever of claim 1 wherein one of said loops is oval in shape and having its smallest dimension less than the diameter of the ball to be picked up.

3. The golf-ball retriever of claim 1 wherein a hooklike fastener carried by the handle engages said loops and said coil to restrain the same against movement at 5 one point on the circumference, the loop being free to move angularly with respect to said fastener as said retriever engages and grasps the ball. 

1. A golf ball retriever comprising a coiled spring wire, a pair of loops formed at the end of said wire coil with the plane of each loop in said pair respectively disposed at an angle of at least 45* to the adjacent loop to provide a space for a ball to enter therebetween and connecting means engaging the loops at the point of contact of adjacent loops.
 2. The golf-ball retriever of claim 1 wherein one of said loops is oval in shape and having its smallest dimension less than the diameter of the ball to be picked up.
 3. The golf-ball retriever of claim 1 wherein a hook-like fastener carried by the handle engages said loops and said coil to restrain the same against movement at one point on the circumference, the loop being free to move angularly with respect to said fastener as said retriever engages and grasps the ball. 